A Jelly Donut and some Rhetoric!

In the scene in Full Metal Jacket where Private Pyle gets in trouble by the Sergeant for leaving his locker unlocked and for hiding a jelly donut he is not supposed to have, there is much underlying rhetoric that appeals to the attitudes and emotions, among other things, of the characters on screen, as well as the audience. Starting from the beginning of the scene the Srgt. is the main source of rhetoric and targets Private Pyle, the other platoon men, and the audience.

To begin the scene the Srgt.'s use of language shows the audience he is in charge. Although some may just see the language as vulgar and unneccesary, the language actually acts as a guide for how the whole seen is to be treated. Srgt. is in charge in this scene and has a power over the rest, which his language tells us. The Srgt. proceeds to then ask questions in the present tense. He asks Private Pyle questions such as why, what and how. In Thank You for Arguing we learn that speaking in the present tense deals with values, which the Srgt. does. He asks these question in front of everyone in order to bring out and judge Private Pyle's values while leaving him choices as to his answer. He stimulates emotion in Private Pyles through this questioning, which is the beginning to an argument according to Thank You for Arguing.

In the midst of the questioning, the Srgt. using the logos appeal to bring out the logic of thievery happening because of lockers being unlocked. Although, he speaks in past tense placing blame on Pyle for thievery, there is still logic in his assumptions. Thievery is likely to logically occur if the locker is left open. When the Srgt. carries on in his questioning of Private Pyle he appeals to the emotions of the men by using logic when coming to the conclusion it is the men's fault for not motivating Private Pyle. He logically makes Private Pyle eat his donut while the men are being punished for his actions. This draws out a change in opinions for the other men in the platoon, the second step in an argument, and brings out a guilty emotion in Private Pyle.

After the guilty feeling is brought to the surface for Private Pyle, he then concludes that all the men hate him including Joker. He realizes their opinions of him have changed which leads to the beginning of his psychological problems. Then when Private Pyle asks Joker for help with his mistakes, the audience cannot help but feel an argument of emotion in feeling bad for Private Pyle, even if just for a little while. This scene's depth of the psychological process of the soldiers is one where, once these rhetorical strategies are noticed, can be analyzed and concluded to a point that shows how the psychological issues could have developed among these men.